Conductive materials are currently being developed for a broad range of applications in a wide variety of form factors, such as films, adhesives, and bulk materials. For example, such a conductive film can be applied to the exterior of an object to provide electromagnetic shielding, and a conductive adhesives can electrically connect two of these films together. The electrical characteristics of these materials often vary in response to exterior thermal conditions and mechanical loads. These variations can be used to design conductive materials that have desirable electrical performance under mechanical loading conditions. For example, a thin conductive film can be applied to the exterior of an aircraft component, and variations in resistivity of the film can be used to detect latent defects or points of failure in the component. Alternatively, the electrical properties of a conductive bulk material can be monitored for changes to indicate similar defects and potential failure, which is a focus of the field of structural health monitoring.